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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Hey all! Welcome back to Thrifty Thursday. A couple of weeks ago, I found a pretty dirty small coat rack. It needed a little bit of cleaning, but the rest of it was good to go. I really loved the wood, and the fact that I could easily personalize it whenever I felt the need. I had been looking for something to hold my longer necklaces, and it ended up working out perfectly.

Basically all I did was scrub it down with disinfecting wipes, and cut out some scrapbook paper I already had.

I'm planning on making a little area with my jewelry boxes, my new necklace hanger, and a mirror. I don't wear enough of my jewelry because I can never see it. I feel like I would wear what I have if it was displayed.

That's it! Keep a look out for pieces like this. They can be really versatile. I was thinking it would be cute to put pictures of the doggies into those slots, and hang up their leashes. Maybe even a kitchen inspired scrapbook paper and hang up my aprons?

Only one more day until Friday- you can do it! Oh, and Happy Halloween!

**soak your toothpicks for about 20 minutes prior to making your wraps so they don't burn**
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Wrap bacon around a single water chestnut - and secure with a toothpick.
3. In a sauce pan heat to boiling - ketchup, brown sugar, and worcestershire sauce and simmer.
3. Lay your bacon wraps on a open wired baking sheet with a pan underneath it (for the grease to drip) (Pictured below...)

4. Once your bacon wraps are laid out on the baking sheet, using a spoon spread the sauce mixture over the wraps.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Hey everyone! How are you all doing?! I'm sitting here cuddled up with a hot cup of tea, listening to the Seahawks game and the wind blowing outside. I sure love fall! I also love tea. I'm kind of a tea-o-holic. I drink a cup in the morning, afternoon, and night. I've never been a coffee girl, so tea feeds my slight caffeine addiction.

I've tried several different ways of storing my tea. I like to have it handy all the time, but I don't just want the bags laying around. Here are 3 cute ways that I personally love.

First off, here is what I'm currently using. I got this little tea cup basket as a gift from Kayla for my birthday. I've been using it ever since!

I also use this vintage tin to store extra bags that don't fit in the basket.

And last but not least is this cute wall sconce that my Mom found at the thrift store for $1.99! It would be PERFECT for storing some tea bags and holding your favorite mugs. I would have never thought to use something like this for holding tea!

So, there you have it. A few ways to spruce up your tea routine.

I really like drinking tea out of clear mugs. I'm not quite sure why, but I love being able to see the tea through the mug. These ones are from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I hope you all are having a great week so far. I can't believe that Halloween is already almost here! This fall is flying by!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Happy Friday, everyone! I've been planning out what I want to do with an extra little room we have in our house. It would be the perfect size for a nursery, but not really large enough for a proper guest room. And since we aren't expecting any babies for a while, I decided to just do what I wanted with the room. I've always loved rich jewel tones, but have been scared to use them throughout my house. I decided to go for it in this little room that will act as our library/small guest room.

So, there you have it! I'm sure the first thing I will do is paint the room. And I'm really loving that sophisticated Chelsea Gray. Also, I'm planning on thrifting a lot of these pieces, or making them myself. It will be a project of love. :)

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Kenzie, Addie, and I spend the day thrift store shopping. The works, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and two other antique stores downtown! Goodwill was a bust - Salvation Army too and I found one item (pictured below at one of the antique stores - A keys and change holder)

We ended up at Target, of course! This is where I actually hit the jackpot, when looking through the clearance section. I found a solid wood bookshelf in espresso color - normally $80.00 on sale for ONLY $12.00!!! Kenzie came over and helped me put the shelves together. I found two different ways I could use this dresser.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Hey all! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and decided to give it a try. It turned out really well, and was SUPER easy and quick. It would be a perfect addition to any Harvest/Halloween party. Plus, I'm already thinking of all the other things I could use this dip for.

And it only has 4 ingredients and makes 4 cups!!

1. 16 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed.

2. 5 oz package instant vanilla pudding.

3. 15 oz can of pumpkin.

4. 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

The directions are really hard though, it was almost a deal breaker for me.

1. Mix it all in a bowl.

2. Chill until ready to serve.

All done! We ate it with some shortbread cookies and graham crackers. I'm also going to try it with apples. Here are a few more ideas I came up with for using this dip:

1. Put it between cookies to make sandwiches.

2. Freeze said sandwiches for a pumpkin icecream sandwich.

3. Mix a tablespoon in with your coffee, or hot cocoa.

4. Use it as a light frosting on a cake or cupcakes.

I hope you guys give this a try. I just made a half batch to try out, and it is plenty for us at home. It might just be a new fall tradition :)

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Adeline is going to turn one in just over a month! I've started "pinning" cute birthday ideas for her party. People are so creative! I doubt I will be able to pull anything off as extravagant as these ladies, but whatever we end up with I'm sure Addie will love it and have a blast. Here is a roundup of a few of my favorite ideas for girl's birthday party invitations and decor!

To start off these are my two favorite invitations - I showed these to Daniel, and am going to have him design Adeline's invitations. I'll be sure to share them after her party :)

Those are some of my favorite ideas - I can't wait to plan Addie's party and share with you what we end up doing. Do you have any girls birthday party ideas or pictures? I'd love to see!! Comment below...

Friday, October 18, 2013

It's Friday! WOO HOO! I am excited for the weekend - we don't actually have any plans, which I'm kind of excited about. No plans = a mid-afternoon nap (at some point), netflix, if we get really crazy maybe a trip into town! HA. Anyway, today I wanted to share with you a quick and fun project I did this week.

I found this RE "accent table" at Target, on clearance, for $4.00. Now, mind you it was gray (as seen above) BUT the legs were neon yellow (seen below)

At first, I thought what am I going to do with a neon yellow and gray accent table? But it was only $4.00! So, I got it. Then, I thought maybe I could turn it into some type of art table for Adeline, for when she gets a little bit bigger. This DIY was super easy, and the only thing I paid for, was the actual table.

First, I spray painted those neon yellow table legs! Next for the table top, I chose some coordinating scrapbook paper and cut them into triangles. Next I laid them out on the table is a type of bunting pattern, and used mod podge to secure them. After the mod podge was dry, I used a thin layer of polyurethane to protect the table top and cover the paper.

I put the table together and put a bucket we already and with some color pencils and paper on top. Even though Addie cant necessarily color yet, she still wanted to try it out! You can tell by her face that she loves it!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this quick DIY and maybe it will inspire you to make your own. The possibilities are endless! :) Have fun.